Alexander McCall Smith pens poem in support of victims of trafficking

Celebrated Edinburgh author Alexander McCall Smith has penned a special poem in support of survivors of human trafficking.

Alexander McCall-Smith pens work for anti-slavery day

The poem titled ‘The Sun on Princes Street’ written by the author of the famous the No1 Ladies Detective Agency and 44

Scotland Street series was created for charity Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHIS) for anti-slavery day on October 18.

It is estimated that there are 136,000 victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK and only 10,627 were rescued in 2019.

Scotland saw a 125 per cent increase in those rescued over the same period, with almost a third being children.

Words in the poem reflect on the suffering of victims of trafficking and modern slavery which the charity warns are often 'hidden in plain sight' in communities.

Joy Gillespie, Manager of SOHTIS said, "We are hugely grateful to Alexander McCall-Smith for his continued support of our work. Sadly, there are people all around us for whom exploitation and modern slavery, is their daily reality. They work in our shops and factories, provide us with services, beg on our streets. They are in our cities, towns and villages.

"We hope that the publication of this poem will make us all think about what we can do to bring freedom to those around us."

The poem will be set to music by local composer and McCall-Smith collaborator Tom Cunningham. McCall-Smith will release a personal reading of his work on the SOHTIS social media channels and website on 18 October 2020 as part of their wider ‘In Plain Sight’ campaign raising awareness of the problem, which Police say is linked to organised crime.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates